u/AdAgreeable6412

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I’ve noticed something painful after working with early-stage founders.

A lot of founders don’t fail because their idea is bad. They fail because they build too much, too early.

They spend months and thousands of dollars trying to build the “full app” before they even know if users care. Then by the time the product is ready, they are tired, over budget, and sometimes the market response is completely different from what they expected.

If I was advising a non-technical founder today, I’d honestly say this:
-Don’t build the full product first.

-Build the smallest version that proves the riskiest part of the idea.

-For some startups, that means just a landing page and manual backend.

-For some, it means a clickable prototype.

-For some, it means one core feature working properly instead of 20 half-built features.

-For others, it means validating the offer before writing a single line of code.

I run a small software team, and this is one lesson I’ve learned the hard way: good development is not just writing code. It’s knowing what not to build yet.

Curious to hear from other founders here:

When you built your first MVP, did you build too much too early?

Or did you manage to keep it lean?

I’ve noticed something painful after working with early-stage founders.

A lot of founders don’t fail because their idea is bad. They fail because they build too much, too early.

They spend months and thousands of dollars trying to build the “full app” before they even know if users care. Then by the time the product is ready, they are tired, over budget, and sometimes the market response is completely different from what they expected.

If I was advising a non-technical founder today, I’d honestly say this:
-Don’t build the full product first.

-Build the smallest version that proves the riskiest part of the idea.

-For some startups, that means just a landing page and manual backend.

-For some, it means a clickable prototype.

-For some, it means one core feature working properly instead of 20 half-built features.

-For others, it means validating the offer before writing a single line of code.

I run a small software team, and this is one lesson I’ve learned the hard way: good development is not just writing code. It’s knowing what not to build yet.

Curious to hear from other founders here:

When you built your first MVP, did you build too much too early?

Or did you manage to keep it lean?

I’ve noticed something painful after working with early-stage founders.

A lot of founders don’t fail because their idea is bad. They fail because they build too much, too early.

They spend months and thousands of dollars trying to build the “full app” before they even know if users care. Then by the time the product is ready, they are tired, over budget, and sometimes the market response is completely different from what they expected.

If I was advising a non-technical founder today, I’d honestly say this:
-Don’t build the full product first.

-Build the smallest version that proves the riskiest part of the idea.

-For some startups, that means just a landing page and manual backend.

-For some, it means a clickable prototype.

-For some, it means one core feature working properly instead of 20 half-built features.

-For others, it means validating the offer before writing a single line of code.

I run a small software team, and this is one lesson I’ve learned the hard way: good development is not just writing code. It’s knowing what not to build yet.

Curious to hear from other founders here:

When you built your first MVP, did you build too much too early?

Or did you manage to keep it lean?

Hey guys,

So I started a software house about 8-9 months ago. We were on Fiverr and Upwork for a while and honestly did pretty well in terms of numbers. But I always had this feeling in the back of my mind that these platforms weren't going to last, we needed to move away from them as soon as possible.

Well, we waited too long. Fiverr randomly deranked us and to this day I have no idea why. Just like that, we went from doing okay to hitting rock bottom.

Now we're trying everything we can, cold email, LinkedIn, you name it. But you guys know how it is, these things take a LOT of time to actually kick in, and the pressure is real.

Here's the thing though, we have a team, we have the talent, we have the work to back it up. The only thing we're missing right now is good clients.

Has anyone been through something similar? How did you make the jump from platforms like Fiverr and Upwork to getting direct clients? Any advice, tips, or even just a honest conversation would mean a lot.

Looking forward to hearing something valuable from you guys!

Hey guys,

So I started a software house about 8-9 months ago. We were on Fiverr and Upwork for a while and honestly did pretty well in terms of numbers. But I always had this feeling in the back of my mind that these platforms weren't going to last, we needed to move away from them as soon as possible.

Well, we waited too long. Fiverr randomly deranked us and to this day I have no idea why. Just like that, we went from doing okay to hitting rock bottom.

Now we're trying everything we can, cold email, LinkedIn, you name it. But you guys know how it is, these things take a LOT of time to actually kick in, and the pressure is real.

Here's the thing though, we have a team, we have the talent, we have the work to back it up. The only thing we're missing right now is good clients.

Has anyone been through something similar? How did you make the jump from platforms like Fiverr and Upwork to getting direct clients? Any advice, tips, or even just a honest conversation would mean a lot.

Looking forward to hearing something valuable from you guys!

Non-technical founder has a solid idea. Goes on Reddit, LinkedIn, every forum possible looking for a "technical cofounder." Spends 3, 4, sometimes 6 months searching. Gives away 30-40% equity. And half the time it still doesn't work out because building a product together is very different from just being friends who vibe on an idea.

Meanwhile the idea sits. The market moves. Someone else ships it.

Here's what nobody tells you, a cofounder isn't a requirement. It's one option. And honestly for most early stage founders it's not even the best one.

What you actually need is someone who shows up, knows what they're doing, and gets the thing built. You need reliability more than you need a co-owner.

A good dev partner gives you the same output, sometimes better, because they've seen 10, 20, 50 products get built. They know what breaks. They know what to skip. They're not learning on your dime.

Curious if anyone here has gone the dev partner route, how did it go?

Non-technical founder has a solid idea. Goes on Reddit, LinkedIn, every forum possible looking for a "technical cofounder." Spends 3, 4, sometimes 6 months searching. Gives away 30-40% equity. And half the time it still doesn't work out because building a product together is very different from just being friends who vibe on an idea.

Meanwhile the idea sits. The market moves. Someone else ships it.

Here's what nobody tells you, a cofounder isn't a requirement. It's one option. And honestly for most early stage founders it's not even the best one.

What you actually need is someone who shows up, knows what they're doing, and gets the thing built. You need reliability more than you need a co-owner.

A good dev partner gives you the same output, sometimes better, because they've seen 10, 20, 50 products get built. They know what breaks. They know what to skip. They're not learning on your dime.

Curious if anyone here has gone the dev partner route, how did it go?